3-057-004 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Earl Haig's Order of the Day, 11 April 1918. On 21 March 1918, the Germans launched a massive offensive on the Western Front, forcing the Allies to retreat. On 11 April, the Commander in Chief of the British Expeditionary Force in France, General Sir Douglas Haig, issued this order, which became known as the 'Backs to the Wall' message, and was intended to restore shaken morale among the troops under Haig's command. 'Three weeks ago today the enemy began his terrific attacks against us on a fifty-mile front...In spite of throwing already 106 Divisions into the battle and enduring the most reckless sacrifice of human life, he has yet made little progress towards his goals...Words fail me to express the admiration which I feel for the splendid resistance offered by all ranks of our Army under the most trying circumstances...There is no other course of action open to us but to fight it out. Every position must be held to the last man...With our backs to the wall and believing in the justice of our cause each one of us must fight on to the end. The safety of our homes and the Freedom of mankind alike depend upon the conduct of each one of us...'. The offensive was halted, and by August the Allies were forcing the Germans to retreat, with the war coming to an end three months later.